Johnny Maestro

Johnny Maestro Death
Singer Johnny Maestro of the rock 'n' roll and doo-wop band The Brooklyn Bridge has died.

A singing career that has lasted over 5 decades ended last night when Johnny Maestro 71 died from cancer. The lead singer of the Crests had one of the most successful integrated doo wop groups in the 1950s, the Crests waxed the classic ballad “16 Candles” in 1959. Formed in 1956, Johnny Maestro’s (b. May 7, 1939) warm tenor made “16 Candles” a national smash, and pop/R&B hybrids like “The Angels Listened In” and “Step by Step” also did well. Maestro  went solo in 1960, scoring the next year with “Model Girl” on Coed, while the Crests attempted to survive on their own. Maestro  eventually reclaimed stardom as leader of Brooklyn Bridge,, an 11-piece aggregation that hit with “Worst That Could Happen” in 1968. source Bill Dahl, All Music Guide